Grumman A-6 Intruder

Grumman · United States · first flew 1960 · fighter

A subsonic, all-weather carrier-based attack aircraft with side-by-side seating, designed to deliver heavy ordnance in any conditions.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Stout swept wings with twin engines buried in the fuselage roots
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Bulbous rounded nose housing attack radar
Side-by-side two-seat cockpit under a wide canopy
Stout swept wings with twin engines buried in the fuselage roots

Look for the rounded fat nose, the side-by-side two-seat canopy, and the broad swept wing with engines tucked into the fuselage.

Specifications

The Grumman A-6 Intruder has a length of 16.7 m (55 ft).
It has a wingspan of 16.2 m (53 ft).
Its maximum speed is 1040 km/h (646 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1960, the Intruder was built around an advanced radar and navigation system that let it strike targets in darkness and bad weather when other aircraft were grounded. It carried a large bomb load over long range and became the US Navy's principal carrier strike aircraft for three decades.

Variants

Versions ran from the original A-6A through the much-improved A-6E with upgraded sensors, plus the KA-6D tanker; the airframe also spawned the EA-6A and the dedicated EA-6B Prowler.

Where you'll see it

A US Navy and US Marine Corps carrier attack aircraft never operated by Britain, so it was not UK-based; British observers saw it only from visiting US carriers or at occasional displays before its retirement.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.